Oak Park and River Forest High School hosted its first Civics Service Learning Fair of the 2024-25 school year last week, inviting local leaders along with nonprofit organizations to help students cultivate a culture of civic leadership.
The event, in its second year, consisted of a fair held in the cafeteria where local nonprofits and civic organizations set up tables to engage with students in hopes of having them involved with their organizations. There was also a panel of local leaders.
Juniors and seniors had the opportunity to speak with organization representatives to learn about different volunteer opportunities in the community.
The event is held at the high school to help students meet their community service requirement, which became a state graduation requirement in 2017.
This year organizations included WSSRA, Kindness Creators, Wonder Works Children’s Museum, Styles 4 Kidz, Hemingway Business District, Takeout 25 and more.
Latonia Baker, executive director with the Oak Park Education Foundation, said it is always looking for high school students to volunteer and help with hands-on programs for younger students.
“I always think it is a great idea for kids to see someone who is close to peer level in helping, especially if it is science related or something that kids might not be able to see themselves in,” Baker said.
Rainey Kearney, a junior at OPRF, said she was hoping to find an organization that works with students after school as her community service requirement but has already had great experiences volunteering with others including Beyond Hunger.
Kearney said she believes having community service be required is a positive for students.
“It opens the door to all these organizations and opportunities that kids have to go out in the community, get involved and get a feel for what the community is about and who is in the community,” Kearney said.
Sofie Pedersen, volunteer coordinator with Beyond Hunger and a former OPRF student, said she was excited to come back and be able to engage students.
“It is definitely something that we are always trying to do,” Pedersen said, adding that OPRF students are already huge supporters of their work.
With more than 1,000 active volunteers yearly, Pedersen said volunteers play a key role in the organization especially after needs grew following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our volunteers make up 11 full-time staff members,” Pedersen said. “It is a huge chunk of the work that we do. We are a small organization. Small but mighty.”
On the panel for this year’s fair were La Shawn Ford, Illinois state rep, U.S. Cong. Danny Davis and Peggy Kell, from League of Women Voters. They spoke with students about what motivated them to participate in their communities.
Davis, who attended the DNC last month in Chicago, encouraged students, especially those who have not been involved in local politics, to get plugged in at their high school first by either joining political clubs or starting their own.
“What is most important, I think, is to appoint our young people with concepts of democracy as they are growing up and if they have the concept of democracy, whether they do politics or not, or social advocacy, they will have the understanding…that is what we hope for the most,” Davis said.
Ford told Wednesday Journal that it was a “no brainer” to be part of the panel and have the opportunity to engage the youth in civics.
The former teacher said it is important for young people to know that in order for their issues and what is important to them to be addressed, they need to be engaged.
“It’s important that they have input,” Ford said. “Who is going to really advocate for what the young people are feeling today? To allow for them to be engaged, we miss no one. That is what we have to do, to make sure we miss no one when we are crafting for a better future.